Princess Cyd of Aheirea

Chapter 4

After supper I sat on the windowsill and gazed out toward the horizon where the sun was disappearing, casting long shadows from the trees. I shivered at the thought of monsters and faeries lurking in the dark forest. Childhood tales warned me to stay away from the darkness, lest I be snatched up and whisked away to God knows where. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Sabine, the castle cat, hopped up next to me on the windowsill. She purred and butted her head against my hand, demanding to be pampered. I granted her what she wanted, absentmindedly petting and scratching between her ears. Her purr emanated from her chest, vibrating against my leg. Just like that, my worries seemed to disappear.

What's that? My eyes caught movement near the edge of the forest and the hair on my arms grew stiff. Sabine must have noticed too, her hackles raised as she curved her back and hissed. Who could be out there so late? The guards haven't made a habit of walking the forest perimeter ever since we fought off some rogue gang of men last winter. Who or what could it be? Maybe I was only seeing things and Sabine just mirrored my fear and surprise. That's probably it I thought, trying to fool myself. I peered out of the window for a moment longer before hopping down off of the windowsill and heading to bed. Sabine joined me under the safety of the covers as I stared at the canopy above me, my mind racing. I shook my head, forcing all of the bad thoughts out before turning onto my side and closing my eyes.

The next morning I woke up to Sabine lying on my chest making it a little difficult to breathe. I smiled and gently pushed her off as she meowed, seemingly annoyed at the disturbance. After I got dressed and ate breakfast, I put on a warm riding cloak. Peeking around corners before taking them, I made my way toward the rarely used back door through the kitchen. Well, it's used plenty by the servants, but not by my father or anyone else who would report my whereabouts to him. I made it to the kitchen and peered into it for good measure. Who knows, one of my fathers men, maybe the short and stout one could be in there stuffing his belly with food that quite frankly he didn't need. I wonder what his wife thought of him, I chuckled quietly and soon after felt a tiny bit guilty. The kitchen was clear. I darted across it and reached for the door handle.

"Where are you going, if I may ask," I whipped my head around and located where the voice came from. It was the same man from yesterday. He was sitting on a box in the corner, again. How did I not see him?!He tossed a potato between his hands casually as he gazed at me.

"Out, not that it's any of your business," I said somewhat snootily, hoping he'd get the hint and keep quiet. He didn't.

"Didn't you get into quite some trouble yesterday for the same thing you're doing now?" He smiled, tilting his head slightly. Damn, he heard about it. Gossip travels fast among the servants. I shifted uncomfortably for a moment, trying to come up with a good excuse.

"Um, I'm going to the stable, Tillie needs to be tended to."

"There are servants for that." He stood up. It took me a moment to register just how tall he was. His head nearly touched the ceiling.

"I know, my parents are both short, funny how that works out, huh?" I didn't know how to respond so I turned to open the door. For some reason it didn't budge. I jiggled the handle impatiently, eager to go see Tillie.

"Let me," kitchen boy said. I stepped to the side and hoped he didn't see my face. How embarrassing is it that I couldn't even open a door. A door that I've been through many times. Pushing it open with one hand, he gestured for me to exit. I awkwardly ducked underneath his arm and into the sunshine. I turned around and to thank him and was struck by how beautiful his eyes were in the sunlight. Little flecks of  gold danced among the mix of blue and green, like the suns reflection on a calm lake. I tore my eyes away and thanked him.

"Don't be getting into any trouble now, Princess, I wouldn't want to be an accomplice," he chuckled.

Princess... for a moment there I had felt almost normal.